Hygienic Resin for Research Facility

The University of Kwazulu-Natal and the Howard Hughes Medical Institute joined forces to build the Kwazulu-Natal Research Institute for Tuberculosis and HIV (K-Rith). Flowcrete SA was fortunate to have been part of the construction of this very prestigious medical research facility.

The K-Rith Tower Building, situated on the campus of the Nelson R Mandela School of Medicine of the University of Kwazulu-Natal, consists of 8 storey's and is 4000m². This independent research institute also houses 600m² of biosafety level 3 (BSL3) facilities that allow scientists to safely handle dangerous pathogens like TB. These BSL3 labs are found on the 7th floor of the building.

"Flowcrete are proud to be part of the development of this world class research facility that will hopefully one day save the lives of millions of people around the world who are infected by these dreaded diseases," said Craig Blitenthall, managing director of Flowcrete SA.

With the construction of such a state-of-the-art research facility dealing with incredibly contagious and hazardous material obviously hygiene is of paramount importance. Therefore it was decided to use epoxy specialist flooring systems in the most harmful areas; the 6th and 7th floors of the building.

Flowcrete's self-levelling, solvent-free epoxy floor coating system, Flowshield SL, was installed on both these floors.

Flowshield SL is a popular flooring choice, particularly within the medical and healthcare industry, where it provides an attractive, resilient and robust surface with a smooth impervious finish. Its seamless properties also prevent the build-up of dirt, dust and bacteria in cracks, crevices and joints, making the floor easy to clean and sterilise - a crucial factor in the hygiene industries.

Not only does Flowshield SL fit the requirements of such a high-tech facility but it is also aesthetically pleasing to the eye. Flowcrete were able to match a specific beige swatch that the architect had chosen and created a special colour for the project.

As part of the architects design a further two special colours were developed and matched to the architects swatches. Particular red and orange colours were included in the flooring design to create contrast and a bold floor. Across the two levels 1000m² of Flowshield SL was laid.

Apart from the flooring systems in the labs Flowcrete also provided the coating system for the walls. Flowcrete's water based epoxy system, Flowseal EPW was specified due to its hygienic and easy to clean properties something that was a definite requirement for the K-Rith Tower Building. Once again the beige colour was matched to the exclusive flooring shade for uniformity. The semi-gloss appearance of Flowseal EPW enhances the working environment.

"Flowcrete is confident that our specialist epoxy flooring systems will withstand the rigors of this modern, high-tech research facility", adds Blitenthall. "It has been a pleasure to be part of such an important project".